Gray Boy
Nicholas, better known as Gray Boy, is a member of the Slaughterhouse Nine. Personality Gray Boy seems to be dangerously unstable, even for one of the Nine. Bonesaw speculated that it would be very much like him to freeze someone just because he could, and that Jack had only asked for one clone of him because he could only keep one under control.Interlude 25 Appearance Nicolas is prepubescent in appearance, older than ten but younger than fourteen, with neatly parted hair and a private school uniform, complete with glossy black shoes. He also has a monochrome effect surrounding him, occasionally flickering with his body looking in a different direction.Interlude 26b Abilities and Powers Nicholas is able to form time loops. The loops are bubble shaped and their borders are inviolable, the only being to have ever successfully broken one being Scion. During these loops, the only changes to the victim are from what he inflicts on them (such as a cut or burn) and in the progression of their thoughts. Pain inflicted on the victims is repeated over and over again. Gray Boy can modify the time between loops, extending them to give victims time to speak full words or shortening them to more quickly repeat the initial burst of pain from a wound.Interlude 26b The loops last for an unknown amount of time, as no loop he has created has ever stopped. Gray Boy told one of his victims that it was theorized that his loops would last “Until well after the sun goes out, ...". However, Wildbow has said that they would not actually last forever or even until the sun runs out, though he also questioned whether this would really matter too much after the first few thousand years.Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles Gray Boy can affect an area roughly 5' across and 8' high.Answer by Wildbow on IRC, archived on Spacebattles His power also makes him effectively immortal, constantly restoring his body to the exact condition it was in when he first got his powers, including what clothes he was wearing at the time and, as a consequence, preventing him from physically aging. He is also brought back far enough in physical location to prevent him from simply dying again from being trapped, as evidenced by how his body was restored next to an object that had completely crushed his body. Only two people have managed to permanently kill Gray Boy; Glaistig Uaine whose ability to harvest the powers of dead parahumans prevented the original Gray Boy from being resurrected, and Foil due to Sting's unique properties allowing her to inflict wounds on the cloned Gray Boy that could not be undone by time-travel. A quirk of his power is that looped things, including Gray Boy himself, are heavily desaturated, giving him his namesake monochrome look. History Background Gray Boy has been described as "Cauldron's biggest mistake". He was used by King as a threat more terrifying than death to the enemies of the Slaughterhouse Nine. The original Gray Boy was similar to Labyrinth at her least lucid; using his powers indiscriminately while staying within an area. King was effectively immune to him, as any attack used on King would be transferred to someone he had touched within the last 24 hours. His immunity to Gray Boy's power allowed him to lead him around and wield him as a weapon. He used this to introduce himself and his Nine to the world as a threat so dangerous they were essentially immune to retaliation. King had only a flimsy hold over Gray Boy, but Jack's hold was stronger due to the thinker aspects of his power.Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles Cauldron allowed Gray Boy to survive because he was the closest thing to a weapon they had against Scion since Eidolon. When the Slaughterhouse Nine started picking up and more powerful parahumans started getting removed from the field than Gray Boy was theoretically worth, they moved in, maneuvering Glaistig Uaine into taking his power for herself, so that Gray Boy's power would still be in playComment by Wildbow on Spacebattles even with the original Gray Boy being dead. Legacy Gray Boy was the most feared villain to have ever been part of the Slaughterhouse Nine. Post-Timeskip Gray Boy was cloned by Bonesaw. He stepped out of the cryostasis chamber fully clothed and dry before he greeted Jack Slash, the consequence of the clone receiving powers having restored Gray Boy's original body and possibly even his original memories, bringing him back along with the clothes he wore when he first got his powers from Cauldron. He approached Bonesaw who kissed him on the cheeks and called him her little brother before he told her that he thought they would be inseparable. He then squeezed her hand and, when Bonesaw looked at him, he winked at her.Interlude 25 The cloned Gray Boy had skills the original lacked due to Bonesaw implanting the body of the clone with the modified memories of an actual child in order to trick Gray Boy's Passenger into believing the clone was the original. He was eventually killed by Foil, but not before he turned on Jack Slash while he was distractedInterlude 26b. Trivia In previous drafts of Worm, Gray Boy was usually an independent villain. Some versions of him would shunt people into the future, during which they experienced sensory deprivation, rather than looping them; he began sending people thousands or millions of years when he was "broken mentally" during that story. His power was inspired by Wildbow thinking "What's a horrible thing you can do with power, as a variant?"Comment by Wildbow on Spacebattles Navigation References Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Shaker